Novel bis(β-diketonato)diorganotin(IV) derivatives containing bulky 4-acyl-5-pyrazolonato ligands: Influence of the steric hindrance of the acyl moiety on the solid state structures of tin complexes and their behaviour in solution

New (Q)2SnR2 derivatives (HQ in general; in detail: HQ CHPh 2 = 4-diphenylacetyl-3-methyl-1-phenyl-5-pyrazolone; HQBn = 3-methyl-1-phenyl-4-phenylacetyl-5-pyrazolone; HQnaph = 3-methyl-4-naphthoyl-1-phenyl-5-pyrazolone; R = CH3, C2H5, C6H11, n- and t-C4H9, C6H5,) have been synthesised and characterised by analytical and spectral techniques. Variable temperature NMR studies of ( Q CHPh 2 ) 2 SnR 2 derivatives (R = CH3 and C2H5) in chlorohydrocarbon solvents indicate a fluxional behaviour, with rapid interconversion between six- and five-coordinate species, the latter containing a bidentate acylpyrazolonate and a monodentate one. The X-ray crystal structures of the diorganotin(IV) derivatives ( Q CHPh 2 ) 2 SnMe 2 , ( Q CHPh 2 ) 2 SnEt 2 , (QBn)2SnMe2 and ( Q naph ) 2 SnBu n 2 , inclusive of a representative of each Qx family, show the metal centres in a skewed trans octahedral configuration. The 4-acyl moiety of the β-diketonate donor exerts a steric effect which is correlated to structural behaviour in the solid and solution state. A solid state 119Sn CPMAS NMR study of the (QBn)2SnR2 (R = CH3, C2H5, t-C4H9 and C6H5) complexes shows a marked deshielding effect and upfield movement of the 119Sn isotropic chemical shift (δiso) through this series. The 119Sn chemical shift spans (Ω) are the largest reported for directly oxo-coordinated Sn(IV) systems, although the markedly reduced Ω value for the (QBn)2SnPh2 complex may be indicative of a cis octahedral coordination, in contrast to the trans octahedral coordination characterising the other complexes of this suite.